Nearctic:
California
Bay Area Ants
Did you know that three kinds of Army Ants live in the Bay Area? Other interesting ants include the centipede eating fat-waisted ants (Amblyopone), specialized spider egg-eating ants (Proceratium), and the fungus-growing ants (Cyphomyrmex), which use caterpillar frass (droppings) to feed their fungus. In the ant world, slavery is still practiced amongst the genus Polyergus. These slave-maker ants stage dramatic raids on the colonies of other ant species, enslaving individuals who must then care for their captors and their brood.
These are just a few examples of over 100 species of ants roaming the Bay Area. However, the invasion of the Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile) into the Bay Area has put many of the native species at risk.
Join the Bay Area ant survey sponsored by California Academy of Sciences and help us discover and map the distribution of our remaining native ants populations and the spread of the Argentine Ant.
AntWeb will provide tools to help you identify the ants found in your school or back yard. You can also bring the ants you collect to the Naturalist Center at CAS and have the specimens identified using a microscope and ant key.
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